Current Projects List: I am so very unfocused

Okay, so the following is a list of current projects on which I have actually done some work.

CURRENT PROJECTS

• Board Game: Political/War/Economic Sim – there are a couple of different versions under development.
• Board Game: Evolution Sim – clearly I like simulation games. This one is a recent idea, so I won’t say much more.
• RPG: Diceless System – just wanted to explore the possibilities. May even get to playtest in the next year, woo!
• RPG: Domain/National level System – related to the board game at the top of this list in some ways. I enjoy this kind of thing.
• RPG: d10 System – similar to d20 systems, this would be based on a single dice; similar to d10 systems, you wouldn’t need any other kind.
• RPG: BIAS card system – a card-based RPG system that Cameron and I started working on quite a while ago. It has been revived and abandoned a few times.
• RPG: British Birthright/Domain maps – these are actually pretty much done, although I’m doing some accompanying writing as well.
• RPG: House Corinthyen – my ongoing obsidian portal PBP game set in A Song of Ice and Fire’s past.
• RPG: Mythic Magic – I am writing a freeform magic system for use in the Mythic roleplaying game system.
• RPG: Little Fears – I have written up an adventure for the Little Fears system, but have a bit of work left to do.
• RPG: Savage Worlds Character Creator/Tracker – an automated spreadsheet that helps you make and track a character.
• RPG: Apply Game Theory Games to role playing – because I like to perform experiments on my friends.
• Writing: Project Gehenna – a post-apocalyptic derived future
• Writing: Project Diviner – a fantasy story about seeing the future and its implications.
• Writing: Tuesday Tales – my weekly flash fiction feature and writing exercise.
• Writing: 8 Villain’s I love to Hate – a savage worlds feature on stereotypical villains, currently unfinished and on hiatus.
• Writing: short fiction for publication – I am working on a few short stories that I would like to sell.
• Writing: poetry for publication – I am also working on selling some poetry. Rejection city, so far.
• Aikido: Spreadsheet database and indices – I have written a somewhat limited database and indexer for Aikido, as a project to help me study.

There are probably other things I’m forgetting right now. There are also a few other ideas I’m kicking around that I have not done anything with yet. And, of course, I have to make dat money to pay dem bills.

FML, right?

Diplomacy

“You can get farther with a kind word and a gun than you can with just a kind word.”

I’d just like to share, briefly, my latest obsession. It is this:

Diplomacy is a game in which, all things being equal, the most skilled negotiator/diplomat/spy/lying, back-stabbing, cheating son-of-a-mother wins. Set in 1900, the game plays out a theoretical war between the 7 Great Powers of Europe (Britain, France, Germany, Italy, Austria-Hungary, Turkey, and Russia). Players start out in carefully balanced positions designed to present a variety of options. Despite that the game has been played for over 50 years, face-to-face, by snail mail, and more recently over the internet, it has changed very little. Elite players, strategy guides, and experts agree: no position is inherently better than any other. The difference is in who you’re playing with and who is willing to make a deal.

The game is played in 6-month seasons, with various phases playing out over the spring and fall campaigns of each year.

It starts with a negotiation phase, the length of which varies by game, in which players are bound by no rules except those they impose upon themselves. Agreements and alliances may be made and broken, secrets are shared, lies are told, and, in short, it’s my favorite part. I don’t know if I want to face what that might say about me.

Following that is the order writing phase. Order writing is very important, as all orders will be executed exactly as written, simultaneously with all other players’ orders. Misspellings and other errors can cost a player dearly. Fortunately, the game includes neat little map handouts so you can keep track of the correct abbreviations.

Next comes the action: order reading and resolution. This is where the actions on the battlefield reflect the agreements, disagreements, and back-stabbings that took place during the last two phases.

Then there is a retreat phase, for defeated armies and navies, and every Fall there is a build/destroy phase for players who gained or lost ground.

My impression so far is that there’s no substitute for face-to-face play. The time seems to fly by, and before you know it, you’ve spent an entire afternoon burning your friends. Online play has been a mixed bag, so far. I’m only in one game, two others having been delayed by players who failed to confirm participation, and the game I’m in has seen most of its original players drop and be replaced. The players who’ve stuck around, though, have been friendly, courteous, and fun to negotiate with. We’ll see how it goes.

I could go on and on, but honestly? Just give the game a shot. It can be hard to get 7 players together all at once, but if you can, I highly recommend it. The game isn’t the same with less.

Oh, and if you want to compete with me, you can find me here under the user name DXA. And remember, “Speak softly and carry a big stick.”